| Number: | 68/262 |
| Organ: | GA |
| Date: | 27 March |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Meeting: | 80th Plenary |
| Code: | A/RES/68/262 |
| Document: | yes |
| For: | 100 |
| Abstention: | 58 |
| Against: | 11 |
| Absent: | 24 |
| Subject: | Territorial Integrity of Ukraine |
| Result: | Resolution adopted |
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 was adopted on 27 March 2014 by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea and entitled "territorial integrity of Ukraine". The nonbinding resolution, which was supported by 100 United Nations member states, affirmed the General Assembly's commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and underscored the invalidity of the 2014 Crimean referendum. Eleven nations voted against the resolution, while 58 abstained, and a further 24 states were absent when the vote took place.[1] [2] [3] [4]
The resolution was introduced by Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.[5] The adoption of the resolution was preceded by the unsuccessful attempts of the United Nations Security Council, which convened seven sessions to address the Crimean crisis, only to face a Russian veto[6] of draft resolution S/2014/189,[7] sponsored by 42 countries.[8]
Nicos Emiliou, permanent representative of Cyprus to the United Nations, who favoured the resolution, said that "Cyprus underlines the importance of respecting the fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of all states, including Ukraine".[9] Emiliou urged to conduct a probe on all acts of violence and encouraged Russia to engage in a diplomatic solution.[9]
The permanent representative of China to the United Nations, Liu Jieyi, whose country abstained from voting, stated that "in the context of the ongoing diplomatic mediation efforts by the parties concerned, an attempt to push ahead with the UNGA vote on the draft resolution on the question of Ukraine will only further complicate the situation".[5]
On 28 March 2014, the Russian Federation stated that the resolution was counterproductive and accused Western states of using blackmail and threats to drum up approval votes.[10]